This invention pertains generally to the drying of clothes and, more particularly, to a compact microwave clothes dryer and method.
Conventional clothes dryers use heated air to vaporize the moisture in clothes. The air must be sufficiently hot to enable the convective transfer of heat to the moisture and obtain an acceptable rate of drying. The resulting temperatures can cause excessive wear to some fabrics and damage to others.
Microwave clothes dryers were first envisioned as a means to transfer heat energy directly to the moisture in clothes without the need for hot air. This results in lower drying temperatures and reduced fabric wear, as well as being faster and more energy efficient. It also permits the drying of delicate fabrics that might otherwise require dry cleaning. Studies have shown that the concept of microwave clothes dryers is technically feasible, but that the practical and economic feasibility of full size residential dryers is questionable. Consequently, microwave clothes dryers may not be able to completely replace conventional clothes dryers.
It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new and improved microwave clothes dryer and method.
Another object of the invention is to provide a microwave clothes dryer and method of the above character which overcome the limitations and disadvantages of microwave clothes dryers heretofore provided.
Another object of the invention is to provide a microwave clothes dryer of the above character which is compact in size and efficient in operation.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by providing a compact microwave clothes dryer and method in which the dryer is small enough to be placed on a countertop, and air is circulated past microwave generator and power supply components and through the drying chamber to transfer heat from the components clothes in the chamber to supplement the microwave drying.